Automatic opening and closing device for water-closet bowls.



PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

H. ATKINSON- I AUTOMATIC OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR WATER CLOSET BOWLS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.28.1906.

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0 H3 Q I [Q\ MW vv\ iWWi. u F Y M No'. 864,118. PATENTED AUG. 20, 190'! H. ATKINSON. AUTOMATIC OPENING AND CLOSING DEVICE FOR WATER CLOSET BOWLS.

. urmouron FILED 811221.28, 1906'.

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HOWARD ATKINSON, OF FALLINGSPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC OPENING AND ULGSING DEVICE FOR WATER-CLOSET BOWLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application fired September 28,1906. Serial to. 336,605.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD ATKINSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Falling Springs, in the county of Greenbrier and State of West Virginia, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Automatic Opening and Closing Devices for Water-Closet Bowls, of which the iollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic opening and closing devices for water-closet bowls particularly adapted for use in connection with railway cars, and aims to provide a device of such a class in the manner as herein after set forth for retaining the closet-bowl closed when the car is traveling at a low rate of speed or when the car is stopped.

In all the coaches, sleeping cars etc., hauled as trains by the railroads, convenience and comfort, as well as safety, has become a basis of advertisement for the rail-' roads in their endeavor to secure patronage. Cars are carried for long distances without change, and transferred from railroad to railroad. This interchange, together with the necessity of awaiting for connecting trains etc, causes the holding of cars for different periods of time at stations. Now the public demands as well as railroad competition has developed a station system that is most elaborate, and which is generally located above or beneath trafiic in the center 01' the cities. Under such circumstances the necessary at- :tention to hygiene will compel a railroad, when any of its cars are awaiting connection, to remove the cars from the station to outside switches because if left in or near the station it will be necessary to lock the saloons or Water-closets. The locking of the saloons or waterclosets at connecting points or stations of any size is a source of annoyance to passengers as well as a matter of considerable annoyance to train crews when they are busiest. Again, at the approach of a train to anyway station, the closets are again locked, depriving the passengers of this necessity.

To overcome the objection of locking the water-closets, and to enable the passengers to use closets at all times, the automatic opening and closing device for the closet bowl, in accordance with this invention, is provided. The' said device is so arranged that the exit to the closet bowl will remain closed while the car is standing still, but will open when the train has reached a momentum of any given number of miles per hour that the device is set at. From the employment oi such a device it will bescen that the closets will not be dumped while the train is moving slowly through a town or city, or standing at a station, but. will open and remain open when the train is running at a given speed or over. Therefore, it will be seen that the employment of the device as hereinafter set forth will avoid the necessity oi closing the closets and enable the passengers to have access to them at all times and still avoid the dumping of the closet bowl except when the train is outside of the city limits and going at the rate of speed set.

i The invention further aims to provide an automatic -tion and arrangement oi parts as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the'prefcrred embodiment of the invention, but it; is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

in describing the invention in detail reference is had to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of oneend of a car broken away showing the adaptation of a closet bowl opening and closing device in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan showing the adaptation of the device for the closet bowls which are arranged at each end of the car. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of an expansible wheel for controlling the operation of the device, and, Fig. 4 is a vertical section of said wheel.

tcicrring to the drawings by reference characters 1 denotes the car-body and which is of the ordinary con-- struction, that is to say, is provided with a \Vzltormloset at each end thcreol. Only one closet is showrrand which is indicated by the reference character 2 and is provided with aurinal 3, and a bowldhaving the 5. The outlet end 6 oi the bowl 4 extends down through the bottom of the car and is surrounded by a depending conducting sleeve 7 secured to the underneath face of therbottom of the car-body. The conducting sleeve 7 is closed through the medium of a cup-shrrpcd member 8 which is provided with tlnnges l), cach having a slot l) to cnablcoi the loosely mountiugofth'emcmlrcr5 upon rr supportingrod 11, the lat tcr being suitably r-ounor-ted with the car-body, The slots 10 are of greater diameter than the rod ll so that wlrcnlhe member 8 is moved to closed position the member 8 will adjust itscll tightly against the lower edge of the conducting sleeve 7.- The reference charm-tor 1? denotes the carrying off pipe for the urinal 3, the said pipe 13 opening in the sleeve 7. The member 8 is retained in a closed position through the medium of an L-shapcd spring arm 13 projecting laterally from a ciu'rying rod 14 which r or ' the piston 16, and the said cylinder 17 operates through a guide or keeper 15 and is (-onnected to a piston 16.

The rel'erence character l7 denotes the cylinder for provided as at one end with a tubular extension l8 in which mounted a coiled compression spring it), the latter surrounding the carrying rod 1-1. This carryin rod M s shifted in one direction so as to bring the L-shaped arm 13 into engagement with the cup-shaped memher l3 and retain it in closed position through the medium of lluid pressure supplied to the cylinder 17 from the main reservoir-20 ol the lluid pressure brake and when the fluid pressure is relieved from the piston ii the latter is moved in an opposite direction, carrying the rod 14 therewith through the medium of the expanding oi the spring 19, the latter remaining under state of compression when the fluid pressure is against the piston lli. When the spring 19 expands the rod 14 is shifted in an opposite direction which carries the arm-l3 therewith. The latter is then moved from below the member 8, which permits the member 8 to open so that the matter collected in the member 8 can he (lumped. The cylinder 1? is suspended from the car-hody in any suitable manner.

The reference character 21 oenotes valve easing which communicates with the reservoir 20 through the medium of pipe 22, with the cylinder 17 through the medium of pipe 23 and with the train pi by the pipe eonneetion 25. The inlot port for the val e (as ing 21 is indicated by the reference character 2n, the exhaust by the reference character 27 and the supply port for the pipe 23 by the reference cha ver 28v Within the casing 2l is arranged a rm'riprocatory slide valve 28 which is grooved as at 29 and has connected thereto the valve stem 30, tln outer end of which is forked as at 31 to engage with shifting; mechanism of the valve to he hereinafter referred to. When the valve 28 is in the position as shown in Fig. l ronnnunication Will he had between the cylinder l7 and the .znaiu reservoir 20, consequently fluid pre re will be supplied against the piston 16 and cup 1 l be retained in a closed position. It the valve is sn port 26 and to establish eommuz ports 25 and 28 by the groove 25} plied from the train pipe to the re. air will exhaust from the cylinder allow the spring it) to expand and shiit the all below the member 8 so that the said memhezr can low A spring 32 arranged within the casing 2i hear-s "ainst p. the valve 28 retaining it upon the bottom of the (115' 21. The casing Ql is suspended from the car-body in any suitable manner.

The operating with what may be termed the controlling inc-ans for shifting the valve stem Z50, thereby moving the valve 28 to uncover .or close the port 2H and to establish Communication between the ports 25 and 28 through the medium of tho groove 29 cousisn; of an expansihleWheel 33 mounted upon one ol the axles 34 of the car-truck 35. The expansible wheel is formed of a plurality of sections 11%; slid-ably mounted upon the spokes 37 through the medium of the connoctine members 38. The spokes 37 are connoc'tml lo the hub 89 and carry on their outer ends an adjustable abutment 4n and lmtwoon tho almtnu-nts l0 and the connecting members 38 and surrounding the spokes 37' are the coiled comprr-ssirm springs 41. The valve stem illl'is bifurcated as at -12 and ha pivotally connor-tr-d thereto as at id :2 shillable li .k 4-1 which we tends through a gui'lwplale l5 and ir-s a rim (ll-- means in the form ol' :1 pair oi disks -16 ,Jllh'll quontly closing pipe 22; to thratmosphere, establish ing uommuuirntion between the pipe 23 and reservoir 20 so that the piston to will he moved by a iluid pressure to tlnposition shown in Fig. 1. thereby retaining the member 8 closed. The spri .gz s -ll are adjusted through the medium ol the ahutnn-nl 40 so that the thereby regulating thernvohHions at which the Wheel will xpuud under centrilugal force and cause the opt-11in oi the r-losct howl.

When the car provided with more tl nil one wate i-losm as gm Wally the ease the pipe 23 is eater as shown in Fig. 2 and opens in n cy lder l7 pr tioned in rloso proximity to the loeation otthv waterclosel. The parts arranged at these pus ions under the car are the s me as arranged at the nth (and of th car, -iu, therefore, it is unnecessary to deserihed them, the same referoneo characters being applied thereto.

When the devi e is set up the expansible wheel 33 is s adjusted so as' lo cause it to expand by rentrilugal iorz'e when the car reaches a predetermined rate of speed. it the ear is trav ling below the predetermined rate of speed the wheel 33 will not expand and -onswprently the member or members 8 will he retained in closure position but if the car travels at the prodetmmined rate in speed or abov sueh rate the wheel 3;; will expand owing to the action of rent: gal force causing thereby the'shit'ting oi the valve 28 and the opening of th pipe 23 to the atmosphere rod or rods 1=lin one diree .on, the latter in turn (a hers 8, permitting the said rnen'rhers to lower that the exit to the watenelosr-t head will he opened. 11' the speed of the car an y way slaclrened or hills below the prmletexmined rate of spa-ed set the wheel 3:; will contract and consequently move the valve opposite dircrlion (losing the pipe 21 to the atmosphere and establishing communiration hetwten the pipe 23 and thireservoir 20, indby fiilt'll a i ment lluid pressure xviil be supplied to t l7, thereliy s1 rods i l in an nppo Lion and moving the Puped :nrrnb position, and they will be retained in su until the car travels at or shove the prod rate of speed "The inlet 26 oi the m from the train pipe to the a.

..l for the supply. ef /oil through hurts the stem 30 will be carried therewith eonse- J log the arm or arms if; from below the member or memv tension of the springs ran he ineroased or (iLKZ'OflfiQti I 21 is of such small diameter as not to cause any material reduction in the train pipe pressure so as to set the brakes. This will be apparent by reference to the drawings and by such an arrangement said inlet remains open from the-train pipe to the reservoir all the time, so that when the valve is open to the cyliudyr oi the device any air leaving the reservoir to manipulate the closing device will graduallybe replaced in the reservoir and should the train remain stationary i'or any length of time sullicieut air would always be available in the reservoir to replace any leakage of air in the cylinders.

What 1 claim is 1. The combination with a water-closet. bowl. of a closing: device therefor, a fluid pressure means for automatically moving said device to closing: position, means for automatically opening said device when the fluid pressure upon said device is relieved, and means adapted to be actuated by the speed of a traveling body for controlling the operation of said tiuid pressure operated means.

2. An automatically operable opening and closing device for the closet bowls of railway cars comprising the coinbination with the bowl and a closure melnber for the outlet thereof, of means for automatically moving said member to open position when the car is traveling at a predetermined rate oi speed, and means for moving said member to closing position and retaining it in said position when the travel of the car falls below the predetermined rule of speed set.

.i. An automatically operable opening and closing device for \\ntei'closct bowls of railway curs comprising the com blnation with the bowl and a closure member for the outlet thereof. oi a iiuid pressure operated means for moving said member to and retaining it in closure position. and an expansible and couiractible wheel operative from the axle of the car to throw said means into and out of operation.

and means adapted to be actuated by J;he speed of the car for throwing said tinld pressure operated means into and out of operation.

5. In a railway car, it water-closet bowl having a clos ing means for the outlet thereof, and means for moving said closing means to closing position when the speed oi the car falls below a certain limit aud tor opening said closing means when the car is traveling at or above a certain speed limit. I

0. in a railway car having a water-closet bowl provided \vith men-us for closing the outlet thereof. tluid pressure Operated means for movingsaid closing means to a closing position and retaining it in such position when the car is traveling below a certain speed limit or stopped, and means adapted'to be actuated by the speed of the car for governing the operation of said iiuid pressure operated means, combined with means to permit 01. the opening of said closing means-when the car is traveling at or above a certain speed limit. i

7. In a railway car having a water-closet bowl provided with an outlet, a hinged cup-shaped member for closiie, said outlet, :1 iluid pressure operated means engaging; said member for moving it to and retaining: it in closure position when the car is traveling below a certain speed limit or stopped. and means automatically actuated by the speed of the car to pcrmiL'ot' the said member swinging to an operative position to open .the outlet of the bowl when the car is traveling at or .above a cer llll speed limit.

8. in a railway car lmvim: a 'llh. -closet bowl provided with an outlet, a hinged cup-shaped member for closing said outlet. :1 fluid pressure operated means one" sine said member for moving it to and retaining, it in closure position when the car is traveling.- below a certain speed limit or stopped, and means to permit of the said member swinging to an operaliveposiiion to open the outlet of the bowl when the ear is traveling at or abovethe speed limit set. combined with means adapted to be actuated b v.i;l|L speed of the car for conlrollim: the operation of said lluid pressure operated means. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

nowAno A'rmv'soN.

Witnesses .l. W. ROBINSON, U. B. itomssos. 

